Beginning with today’s editorial on the presidential election and continuing over the next two weeks, the Star Tribune Editorial Board will offer endorsements in a number of national, state and local races that will be on the ballot Nov. 8.

The endorsements are based on reporting and research by the Editorial Board, and in most cases candidates have met with board members for individual interviews. Our goal is to publish well-reasoned opinions that readers will find useful in making their own choices, whether they agree with our picks or not.

As in the past, we are highlighting races that we think are especially newsworthy or competitive. The fact that we did not choose to offer an opinion on a specific race should not be read as an endorsement of an incumbent or challenger.

The Editorial Board is independent of the newsroom, and news reporters and editors were not involved in the endorsement process. If you’d like to learn more about the Editorial Board and its work, read our guide at http://strib.mn/2dVc1T2. For more background on this year’s endorsement process, listen to our Playing Politics podcast at http://strib.mn/2eqImnc.

You can use our MyVote online tool at startribune.com/myvote to preview your ballot, learn more about the candidates and get results on Nov. 8. And, as always, we welcome your feedback at opinion@startribune.com.